1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to security tags which are attached to merchandise so as to prevent the merchandise from being unlawfully removed from the store.
Prior art security tags for the protection of garments and the like against shoplifting are all designed that they can be opened relatively easily by means of a certain device. This device is usually installed at a store register where it can be operated by the clerk. Such prior art decouplers are either handheld or they are stationarily disposed.
There exist several drawbacks with the existing decouplers. For instance, they are quite expensive, i.e. approximately $150.00 to $3,000.00 for air pressure decouplers and, towards the low end, magnet decouplers with a single neodymium magnet. For a store with, say, 40 registers and where only part of the store is clothing or where only part of the clothing is protected, this is a sizeable investment. Another drawback is that anyone can buy these decouplers, which means anyone can open any "security" tag. Logically, then, the purpose of the security tag is defeated when it is opened without being accompanied by a registered sale.